California Tan

California Tan is a cosmetic company which sells products designed for tanning, as well as a few products designed for sunless tanning. California Tan is fairly well known for some of its catchy product names. For instance, they sell a hemp seed oil tanning accelerator called Ganja. Other California Tan accelerators are known as Climax, Hot Chocolate, and Ambrosia.

The Dangers of California Tan

The sexy product names and breezy designs impart a feeling of worry-free fun. Personally, I consider this a dangerous attitude. Anyone who has been paying attention at all in the last 20 years understands that the sun's UV rays are dangerous. A person doesn't need to burn to suffer some of the sun's more serious consequences, which include skin cancer and even death. For some unlucky people, all they need to do is tan.

I think laying out in the sun without UV protection is a terrible idea. I wish it weren't. I used to love lying out in the sunshine. I still do, as long as I am protected with powerful sunscreens. I used to love getting a deep, dark tan. I still do, as long as I achieve it with sunless tanners.

Oiling yourself up to lie in the direct sun is simply foolish. At worst, it can lead to cancer. At best, it will result in wrinkles and premature aging. We've all seen what skin looks like when it's spent too many decades worshiping the sun--like shiny beef jerky.